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Friday, November 20, 2009 01:27 PM
Setting the (political) table
By Jennifer Lewington Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief
With a Ph.D. in theology and social ethics, lefty Toronto councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s) has a penchant for big-picture ideas with grassroots appeal. (Tell that to his disgusted opponents of the St. Clair Street transit right-of-way).
His latest creation is a new website (www.settingtheagenda2010.com), set up as a brainstorming exercise to identify what should be top of mind for voters and candidates next year. Since his website went live a couple of days ago, there have been 2,000 hits for an online discussion generating topics for a public meeting next Tuesday night, Nov. 24, at the Artscape Wychwood Barns.
“All the media coverage, and therefore the coffee-time conversation, has been about the ‘who’” of the upcoming run for mayor, says Mr. Mihevc. His view is wait a minute.
Link to this postTuesday, November 10, 2009 06:50 PM
Smoking out the candidates
By Jennifer Lewington Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief
Eager to be a player in next year’s municipal election, the Toronto Board of Trade today released a “discussion paper” on issues that should be tackled by those lining up to fill Mayor David Miller’s shoes.
Are you listening, George Smitherman? Come on down, John Tory. Hey councillors Shelley Carroll and Adam Giambrone, listen up.
For its “Vote Toronto 2010,” the board wants a public debate on how to fix the city’s finances, expand the regional economy, boost civic engagement and repair the social fabric of the city.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:59 PM
Tory and Smitherman set the stage for the battle to come
Brodie Fenlon
Undeclared mayoral candidate John Tory welcomed newly declared mayoral candidate George Smitherman into the studios of CFRB Newstalk 1010, which is kind of like Jennifer Aniston inviting Angelina Jolie over to the house for crumpets and a chat about Brad.
Only these two don't look as good.
And in the Toronto version of this rivalry, Mr. Tory invited a phalanx of media into the booth beforehand, which caught Mr. Smitherman by surprise and, I hazard to guess, had him steaming under his baby blue collar and pink floral-print tie.
Peppered by reporters' questions before they went live to air – How does it feel to be second in the polls? Should John Tory run against you? – Mr. Smitherman politely shut the media down. "I thought I came here to be interviewed by John and that he let all of you in is a bit of a surprise for me," he said with a thin smile.
"So I'll look forward to talking with you all more later."
Friday, November 6, 2009 12:11 PM
Toronto budget chief muses about new taxes, stirs fury
By Jennifer Lewington Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief
As any politician knows, talking out loud about taxes, especially the possibility of new ones, is sure to set people’s teeth on edge.
That’s what happened this week when Toronto councillor Shelley Carroll, the city’s budget chief and a possible mayoral contender in 2010, called for a public debate on revenues that grow with the economy (read taxes).
The predictable media firestorm -- akin to the response to then-mayoral candidate David Miller’s musings about road tolls in 2003 -- created some confusion over what Ms. Carroll actually said.
Friday, October 30, 2009 05:41 PM
George still curious about the mayor's job
Brodie Fenlon
Deputy Premier George Smitherman joined Mayor David Miller, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Chair of Waterfront Toronto Mark Wilson and Ward 28 Councillor Pam McConnell for the groundbreaking this morning of Sugar Beach.
The new "urban beach" is a $14.3-million project, just one piece of the revitalization puzzle for the industrial neighbourhood of East Bayfront that includes plans for 6,000 homes, a new light rapid transit line and 2.5-million-square-feet of commercial space. The beach, which will feature Muskoka-style chairs under pink umbrellas, will replace a Queens Quay parking lot at the foot of Lower Jarvis Street sandwiched between the Red Path Sugar factory and the new headquarters for Corus Entertainment.
Mr. Smitherman wanted to talk about it, but as has become custom, the media scrum following the groundbreaking was all about his mayoral aspirations.
"My thoughts are pretty much as they've been framed for the last several months. The opportunity is a good one. I feel the city needs some of what I could offer and I've got to make a firm decision of course in the next little while," he said.
"It's obviously a challenging decision. It's one obviously that within my family, my husband, that's my primary advisor on this stuff," he said of Christopher Peloso, whom he wed in the summer of 2007. "The comfort level has got to be at that level more than anything else."
As for timing, Mr. Smitherman suggested we won't know his decision until after the Christmas holidays.
"New Year is the transition point for most people, that's the real time to watch. I still think that's about the right time frame."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:52 PM
File under "too much information"
By Jennifer Lewington Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief
Count on councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker (Ward 38, Scarborough Centre) for some wacky asides on his way to making a serious point.
You may recall his 2007 commentary on the floor of council on the conservation merits, or lack thereof as it turned out, of two people taking a shower in the morning.
Today, he was at it again, in a debate over a $6-million dispute between the city and Astral Media, the company that won a 20-year deal in 2007 to install and maintain 26,000 pieces of “street furniture” (benches, litter bins and so on). The contract generates $428-million for the city.
Thursday, October 22, 2009 03:41 PM
David Miller wants fresh blood on council...
Brodie Fenlon
Mayor David Miller says he wants fresh blood on council — new faces to replace some of the careerists who do little to contribute to the city's future.
"I think people who are aren't there to move this city ahead should gracefully do something else and let some new blood come forth," he said.
"I mean, look at the contributions that Adam Vaughan, Gord Perks and Adrian Heaps have made," Mr. Miller said of three of his allies, each elected to council in 2006. "I think we need more people like that."
But wait a sec. What about Norm Kelly, the chair of the planning and growth management committee and a member of Mr. Miller's executive committee? He was first elected as alderman in 1974, and later elected to Metro Toronto council in 1994.
"Norm Kelly, for example, has been a real leader on the planning committee," Mr. Miller.
Okay, what about Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, who has 25 years under his belt at city hall and is eyeing a run for mayor?
Thursday, October 22, 2009 11:23 AM
Mayoral campaign financing: The gospel according to Laschinger
Brodie Fenlon
Sure, you need a distinct platform, some charisma, vision and the ability to connect with Joe and Jane Toronto if you want run for mayor in this city.
But you also need lots of money, with at least half of it coming from your friends, says veteran Conservative strategist John Laschinger, the wizard behind the curtain of David Miller's 2006 campaign (he also worked on the 2003 race, joining the team midway).
Last election, mayoral candidates were allowed to spend just over $1-million on their campaigns based on a formula of a $7,500 base amount plus 70 cents per elector. Next year's campaign spending limits won't be determined until early October.
Under the rules, you can't raise or spend money until after you've filed your official papers with the city's elections office, beginning Jan. 4.
In the meantime, "the best you can do is walk around and people say, 'I'd like you to run,' and you say, 'Well, would you write a cheque for me?' and you keep track of commitments," said Mr. Laschinger, a veteran of 45 political campaigns, including five municipal elections.
When the race becomes official, one needs only follow the money to determine the contenders, he added.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 06:10 PM
New book deal gives Toronto mayor the last word
By Jennifer Lewington, Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief
To his resume as lawyer and municipal politician, Mr. Miller is about to add another credential: book co-author.
In a deal announced today by Toronto-based literary publisher Cormorant Books, the mayor, documentary film producer Douglas Arrowsmith and independent photographer Jeff Davidson are collaborating on a book about the inspirational people Mr. Miller had met as mayor over the past six years.
“I have been wishing that Torontonians could see the city through my eyes, because I get to see the real fabric of Toronto in every neighbourhood,” says Mr. Miller. “Nobody else gets to see that, not even my staff.”
Friday, October 16, 2009 03:41 PM
A new web site on schools takes flight
Marcus Gee
You could almost hear the educational establishment squirm when schooling activist Doretta Wilson launched a web site last month that lets the public compare school boards on spending, enrolment, academic achievement and other measures. Teachers unions and many school boards complain that releasing that kind of information creates unhealthy competition among schools and boards. But, clearly, people are paying attention anyway. Ms. Wilson’s Society for Quality Education, which runs the Sunshine on Schools site, says it got 18,000 page views from more than 2,200 visitors in its first two weeks.
A look at the site shows why (sunshineonschools.ca). Click on the Toronto District School Board and you find that the board has had sharply declining enrolment over the past five years but sharply rising expenditures. You also find that 752 employees make more than $100,000 a year; that the proportion of junior classes with fewer than 20 puplis has risen sharply (under a new provincial early-learning policy) but that Grade 3 reading, writing and math scores have improved only slightly; and that, for some reason, the TDSB’s Grade 9 scores in applied math are way below the provincial average.
Putting that kind of data into the public realm should help keep Toronto massive education bureaucracy on its toes. No wonder educators are squirming.
Inside City Hall Contributors
Jennifer Lewington
Born on a farm in southern Ontario, I broke into journalism with a scholarship for summer reporting at the London Free Press in 1967. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Columbia University, I started my career with the Financial Post in Ottawa, then moved on to the Montreal Gazette (in Montreal), the Canadian Press (in Ottawa) before joining the Globe and Mail in 1981.
In 1984, when posted to Washington, I became the Globe’s first female foreign correspondent, winning a National Newspaper Award. In 1991, I was named a Neiman Fellow at Harvard University before returning to the Globe in Canada to write about education and later about urban issues.
I am currently Toronto City Hall Bureau Chief, reporting on news and features of interest to residents. I am still a farm girl at heart and like to bring those down-to-earth values to my reporting.
Brodie Fenlon
I moved to The Globe and Mail's City Hall Bureau in 2009 after a two-year stint as reporter, editor and multimedia specialist at globeandmail.com.
I have a teaching degree from Lakehead University and graduated from the journalism program at University of Western Ontario in 1999. I began my career at the London Free Press two days after I got married, spoiling the honeymoon. Later I moved to the Toronto Sun, where I was involved in all manner of spot news and investigative features. I was working as a city hall reporter for the Sun when I moved to globeandmail.com.
My wife and I eventually got our honeymoon. We have two beautiful boys. I ride a Suzuki Burgman 650 in the nice weather and spend far too much time in movie theatres.
Marcus Gee
I’m one of those rare birds: a native Torontonian. I grew up in Moore Park in North Toronto, lived away for 10 years in Vancouver and Asia, then came back and have been here ever since. Through most of my career at The Globe, which I joined in 1991, I have been writing about foreign affairs, as an editorial writer, columnist and, most recently, Asia business reporter. Now I’m exploring my hometown as a columnist.
Jeff Gray
I have been at The Globe and Mail since 1998, and started covering Toronto City Hall in 2004. In my Dr. Gridlock column, I try to tackle the city's traffic problems.
I took off in 2002 to work at the BBC's news website in London and to freelance for The Globe. In 2000, I was part of the team that relaunched globeandmail.com.
Most of the time, I bike to work. I like to think my two little boys enjoy my renditions of Bob Dylan tunes on guitar and harmonica, but I fear they prefer Raffi.